Book 1 Chapter 310

Everyone looked at Tina with shocked faces.

Tina yawned lazily and scratched her left calf with her right big toe.

With her hands shoved into her robe pockets and a listless expression, Tina was certainly different from a normal elf.

"She's quite strange, isn't she?" Cael whispered to Leo.

"Definitely eccentric," Leo replied impassively, resting his chin on his hand.

"For someone like that, you don't seem very surprised?" Cael asked.

Leo chuckled at Cael's question.

"I've seen too many strange elves."

"True. Lunia and Eiran are also far from the typical elf image."

"What is your idea of a typical elf image?"

"Hmm… The progenitor of the nebulae, Luna? A feeling of benevolence and pursuit of harmony? What's the word… pure, perhaps."

"…"

Leo made a strange expression.

Benevolence, harmony, and purity.

'Those are the most unfitting descriptors for Luna. When will her true nature be revealed to the world?'

"By the way, why is someone from the Tingel family here as an invited professor at Lumern?" Chloe tilted her head, puzzled.

The Tingel family.

The family of Seirun, the Mage of the Comet.

Not just the highest among elves, but also considered the strongest among the magical hero families across all races.

It was surprising that someone from the Tingel family, not Seirun, would come to Lumern as an invited professor.

Especially considering the recent relations between Seirun and Lumern.

More precisely, the human and elf magic academies were in a very bad state due to Ren's thesis, "Introduction to Star Magic."

It was certainly unexpected that Ren, the author of that thesis, would invite Professor Tina.

As Chloe spoke and Cael crossed his arms, deep in thought.

"It seems a few students are curious about why I, Tingel, was invited as a professor to Lumern."

At Tina's words, a few students wore awkward expressions.

Seeing those students, Tina said impassively, "There's no need to find it so strange. I am a direct descendant of the Tingel family."

Tina's words made the students' gazes even more peculiar.

If she was a direct descendant, it made even less sense for her to be an invited professor at Lumern.

"I see."

However, Avad nodded as if he understood.

"Understand what, brother?" Chelsea asked curiously, tilting her head.

"If you're a direct descendant of the Tingel family, you should be famous. But have you ever heard of anyone named Tina Tingel?"

Looking at Avad, who asked with his characteristic gentle smile, Chelsea, who had been pondering, shook her head.

Her characteristic light blue hair swayed.

"Perhaps there's a reason why she hasn't made a name for herself as a direct descendant? Besides, Professor Ren said she's the top expert in magical artificial engineering, so she must be incredibly talented."

"Ah."

Chelsea exclaimed as if she had realized something.

The students of Lumern also began to grasp the hidden meaning behind Tina's words.

Seeing their reactions, Tina nodded.

"The Lumern students are smart. To arrive at the conclusion from such a cryptic explanation."

"Hmph, I taught them to develop broad thinking as mages. Deduction is the most crucial element in magic theory."

"Professor Ren, I don't think this is the time to brag."

Anna sighed deeply, but Tina nodded as if unbothered.

"That's true. Today's children are too accustomed to incantations, so they tend to be weak in deduction."

Tina looked directly at the Lumern students with her bored golden eyes.

"You've guessed correctly. I am a member of the Tingel family, but public activities are not permitted for me. I cannot engage in academic activities either."

The students began to exchange glances.

Tina continued, unfazed by their reactions.

"I was born unable to use mana. In other words, I am not a mage in the sense of a user."

"Indeed, Tina-nim cannot use magic. However, I have no doubt that she is a mage."

Ren smiled widely.

"As for Tina-nim, she has written numerous groundbreaking magical theses in all sorts of magical artificial engineering! A prime example is the creation of the [Human Body Magic Activation Inscription Array]! This array was also a great help to [Introduction to Star Magic]!"

Chloe's eyes widened at Ren's explanation.

"The [Human Body Magic Activation Inscription Array] is a thesis written by a mage named Depoy, isn't it?"

"Depoy is my pseudonym."

Chloe looked flustered.

"Why is she acting like this all of a sudden?"

"Oh my! It's Depoy! Depoy! What do I do!"

Cael looked at Chloe with a bewildered expression, her cheeks flushed like a girl in love.

"She's the author whose magical theses Chloe likes so much."

"Ah."

Cael nodded at Leo's explanation.

"One of her representative works was [A Philosophical Consideration on Why Ice Mages Should Learn Ice Magic]?"

"That's right."

"What kind of title is that? It sounds weird and troublesome just to hear it."

Cael wore a displeased expression.

In fact, most of the magical books Chloe read were difficult for Cael.

It was difficult for over half of the second-year magic students, not just Cael.

It wasn't only Chloe who got excited at the mention of Depoy.

Several students showed excited reactions.

"Professor Ren."

"Yes, student Cael."

"How did you get to know someone who uses a pseudonym?"

Ren chuckled as he looked at Cael raising his hand.

"I was deeply impressed by Tina-nim's magical theses for a long time and always wanted to meet her. But since I couldn't see her face in academia, I wrote her earnest letters."

Ren's passion for magic was already famous among the students.

Hearing Ren's words, Chloe exclaimed in admiration.

"So, Tina-nim was impressed by your sincerity!"

"No. Because he kept ignoring my letters, Professor Ren tried to use tracking magic on them."

Tina looked at Ren with a blank expression.

"If he kept at it, I thought he would actually find my location and barge in, so I met him willingly. When we met and talked directly, I found him to be an interesting person, so I agreed to the invitation."

Everyone looked at Ren with peculiar eyes.

Anna held her head and shook it in dismay.

Amidst the strange expressions of all the students, Tina said, "At Professor Ren's invitation, I will be staying at Lumern for a while. And I will be teaching you 'Magical Artificial Engineering.' Your exam assignment is to create a familiar."

Tina walked to the center of the lecture hall.

"Who wants to present on familiars?"

Several students raised their hands at her words.

Tina scanned the students with a blank expression and pointed to Emio, who was sitting in the back row.

"You. You there."

"My name is Emio Ruzan."

Emio, who was ranked fifth in the second-year magic department, stood up.

"All right. Explain about familiars."

"Familiars are traditional assistants to mages. They are beings that receive a mage's mana and aid in combat."

"Correct."

"However, it is a field that is now nearly obsolete."

Emio continued without finishing his sentence.

Most of the magic students nodded in agreement.

"The origin of familiars lies in summoners' summoning arts. Strictly speaking, familiars are also included in the concept of summoned creatures in a broad sense. However, mages cannot form contracts with spirits or magical beasts. Therefore, familiars are basically summoned creatures far below the rank of spirits and magical beasts."

Many students looked slightly bewildered at Emio's words.

They had anticipated his next statement.

"Therefore, I cannot help but question the fact that the midterm exam assignment is familiars. I would like to hear an explanation from Professor Ren."

At Emio's dissatisfied words, Ren smiled faintly.

"I fully understand your point, student Emio. Indeed, familiars are in a state of obsolescence."

Ren nodded.

"Previously, familiars were used to buy even a moment of time to cast magic. However, as time passed and magic array technology advanced, the time to cast magic also gradually decreased. In recent decades, there have even been research results indicating that it is more advantageous in combat to use offensive magic with the mana spent on familiars. The application of familiars was limited to guardians or communication. That was the trend in the magic world, and I thought so too."

Ren smiled meaningfully.

"However, after seeing Tina-nim's laboratory, things changed a bit. I now believe that familiars will become mainstream in the magic world again soon."

Familiars had been pushed out of the mainstream of magic hundreds of years ago.

The students' eyes widened at the words that familiars might become mainstream again.

"Professor Tina will explain that to you!"

At Ren's words, Tina scratched her backside and said, "Emio… did you say? Your family are soldiers, aren't they?"

"Don't you know if you hear the name Ruzan family?"

"Yes. I don't. If that's the case, I am Tingel, even if it's just in name. There's no need to specifically remember the names of other families, especially those of other races."

Emio's face contorted slightly at Tina's blunt words.

"Military mages are excessively fond of practicality. They also have a strong tendency to prioritize the latest magical trends. They also tend to prioritize combat over research. Well, I understand, since they are soldiers."

Tina said impassively.

"All right. Then you'll realize how useful familiars are in actual combat."

Tina pointed her finger outside.

"Shall we go?"

***

The magical experiment hall in the magic lecture hall.

Tina stood in the center of it.

Looking at Tina, Emio asked, "Shall I fight?"

At the provocative question, Tina wore a indifferent expression.

"No, I'd prefer a student who can perform a variety of attacks."

Tina smiled, a faint smile for the first time.

"For example, an all-class mage."

At those words, everyone's gaze turned to Leo.

Leo stood in the center of the magical experiment hall.

"If I'm okay with it."

"Yes."

Tina looked at Leo with intrigued eyes.

The previously listless gaze in her eyes came alive.

Seeing that gaze, Leo was reminded of Luna.

'That's the same look she had when she first saw me.'

The look of curiosity when she saw him, an all-class mage, for the first time.

Recalling that gaze, Leo waited for Tina to summon a familiar.

A moment later.

Tina extended her hand.

Slurp- Splat-!

A blue liquid flowed from Tina's upper body and fell to the ground.

And it began to clump together.

The students looked bewildered at the sight.

"What is it? It's a slime?"

"Are they going to fight Leo with a slime?"

"I thought it would be some kind of unique familiar."

Slime.

An artificial life form created by alchemy, and one of the most common familiars for mages.

Voices of disappointment were heard here and there.

However, Leo narrowed his eyes at the sight of the slime.

'What is this modified slime?'

Leo quickly counted the number of magic arrays embedded in the slime's core.

'What is the source of mana that can activate so many magic arrays at once?'

A normal slime typically uses no more than five magic arrays.

However, this slime had about a hundred magic arrays embedded in it.

As Leo looked at the familiar with interest.

Slurp-

The slime began to coalesce and soon took on a specific form.

Leo narrowed his eyes at the sight.

'An elf?'

The form it took was that of an elf mage around Leo's age.

At that moment, Chloe's expression turned to shock.

"The Mage of the Comet?"

At those words, Leo narrowed his eyes and looked at the slime.

'They look exactly alike.'